Gregory G. Garre, JD '91, Partner at Latham & Watkins and former Solicitor General of the United States, will deliver the keynote address at the Law School Diploma Ceremony on Sunday, May 15, 2016. Mr. Garre answered a few questions about his career and upcoming address to GW Law students.
You were Solicitor General of the United States. What was your path to public service. Did any skills from GW help you reach that position?
The first step to my public service was coming to D.C., and GW is what brought me here. Studying law at GW, and in D.C., also gave me an even greater appreciation for our institutions of government and the role that lawyers, and the rule of law, play in American government. This was instilled almost daily in my classes, especially constitutional law and administrative law. But it also came through in the many professors I had at GW who had served, in one capacity or another, in government.
Describe a memorable moment, professor, or course from your time in law school.
I can still remember the fear of those first few weeks—OK, months—of law school trying to figure out if I really belonged, and dreading the prospect of being called upon in class. Professor Banzhaf’s first-year tort class stands out in that regard. But I also remember one of my professors, Joshua Schwartz, talking about this amazing little office in the Department of Justice that represented the United States before the Supreme Court, and Professor Schwartz’s own experiences arguing cases before the Court as a lawyer in the Solicitor General’s office. I thought that was about the coolest thing a lawyer could do.
"I can remember back to my own graduation at GW, and sharing it with my family and friends. It was a very special day for me, and I am grateful that the school has given me the opportunity to come back and be a part of this special day for this year’s graduates."
If you were not working as a partner at Latham & Watkins, what would you be doing?
Assuming I was unable to play in the National Hockey League (one can always wish), I would enjoy writing. I spend most of my days engaged in legal writing of one form or another. It would be fun to write a book—with not a single legal citation in it.
What are you most looking forward to when you think about delivering the Commencement address?
Being able to deliver the Commencement address at GW is a great honor and privilege to me. But what I am most looking forward to is just being there, and being a part of the day. I can remember back to my own graduation at GW, and sharing it with my family and friends. It was a very special day for me, and I am grateful that the school has given me the opportunity to come back and be a part of this special day for this year’s graduates.